


After The Fact

by coldheartscoldersongs



Category: Carry On - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: AU, Angst, Gen, M/M, Post canon, the truth comes out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 05:13:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11525271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coldheartscoldersongs/pseuds/coldheartscoldersongs
Summary: Out of the blue, Agatha sends Simon an email that changes everything.





	After The Fact

**Author's Note:**

> As I finished rereading, I found it infuriating that no one ever connected the dots and found out who Simon's parents were, so I did it myself. Enjoy.

AGATHA

My second semester at UC San Diego ended yesterday. It’s mid December, almost Christmas Time, but I have no plans to go home. Considering everything that happened this time last year, it’d be too much to bear.

I still look at that picture of Lucy, Davy, and Professor Bunce almost every day. After all this time, I think I ought to send it to Simon; at least a copy. 

I write up an email to him and ask one of my roommates, Emma, how to scan a picture. She shows me and I send it. Maybe he’ll find meaning in the picture the way I do.

SIMON

I wake up and check my phone. 7:35 AM. It’s Saturday, so I let my head hit the pillow. I wake up again nearly two hours later to the smell of breakfast food. I pad into the kitchen to find Penny cooking.

“Morning Pen.”

“Morning, Si. You’re just in time for breakfast.” She fixes me a plate of eggs, toast, and bacon. I look through my phone as I eat. When I refresh my email, I find one from Agatha. It even has an attachment.

“Penny, look at this. Agatha emailed me.”

She dropped her fork. “Really?”

“Yeah. Come read this.” She came to my side of the table to read over my wings.

Hi Simon,

I know it’s been a while. I’m sorry I haven’t said anything. After last Christmas, I didn’t want anything to do with magic or the World of Mages. I hope you’re doing well. Penny tells me you are. We text sometimes.

Anyway, I wanted to send you this picture. Professor Bunce showed it to me and Penny last year. I took it with me (tell Penny I’m sorry about that). I thought you’d want to see it.

Merry Christmas, Simon.

-Agatha

“Damn,” Penny said.

“Who are these people?” I asked. It was pretty clear that her mum was in it, but I couldn’t tell who the others were.

“That’s the Mage back when he went to Watford,” Penny explained. “And Lucy Salisbury. She was mum’s best friend and the Mage’s girlfriend, apparently.”

“She looks beautiful.”

“Yeah. Familiar, almost.” Penny glanced at me before horror ran across her face. “No way,” she whispered.

“What?”

“Simon, Lucy looks just like you. Not to mention that there’s a rumor that she had an illegitimate child.”

I didn’t want to think about the gravity of her words. “What are you saying?”

“We’re going to my house and finding my mum.”

“Can Baz come?”

“I’m sure he’d want a part of the action.”

-

Baz came soon after I called him. On our drive to the Bunce’s, Penny and I gave him a rundown of our theory.

His eyes widened. “That makes sense, actually. Nice going, Bunce.”

“Thanks, Baz.” She said.

“Do you know what this means?” I asked him. “This changes everything.”

“Hindsight is twenty-twenty,” he said. “But you know no matter what Headmistress Bunce tell us that we can’t change the past, love.”

I sighed. “I know, but I want closure, Baz. You know who your parents are without a doubt; I don’t.”

“It’s just that the past is sometimes better left in the past.”

PENELOPE

I didn’t bother telling Baz that there was no stopping Simon once he was on tangent. He already knew and I feared that I knew where this path would lead us.

We got to my house soon enough. Mum still lived here, not willing to move to Watford despite being headmistress. I fished my key out of my bag and let us in.

“Mum? Dad? Anyone home?”

“Penny!” Priya rushed down the stairs to hug me. “You’re home!” 

“I am, Pri. Is Mum here?”

“Yeah, she’s in her office.” Priya waved to Simon and Baz before I led them upstairs.

I knocked on the office door. “Mum? It’s me. I’ve got Simon and Baz.”

Sure enough, my mother opened the door, her face lit up. “Penny! What a surprise. You’ve bought Simon and Basilton as well.”

“Hello Headmistress,” they said in unison.

“What brings you all here?”

“Agatha, actually.” I said. I explained her email to Simon while he pulled up the picture.

“That explains where the picture’s gone.” She examined it for a few moments before looking up at Simon with sorrow in her eyes.  
“There’s something you three should know.” She told us of a time when Lucy and Davy visited her and Dad when Premal was a baby. How Davy was obsessed with the Greatest Mage and how Lucy said he wanted to bring him about himself.

“I think you’re Lucy and Davy’s son, Simon,” she said slowly.

SIMON

This Lucy was my mother. The Mage was my father. I really was the Mage’s Heir.

Merlin, I killed my father.

I killed the only family I had.

Penny took one look at me before hugging her mum and telling her how we’d better get going and thank you very much. I felt sick the whole drive back to our flat. Baz was squeezing my hand, but it wasn’t enough.

When we got back into the flat, I burst into tears.

“My parents,” I wept. Baz and Penny looked alarmed but not surprised.

“I’m sorry, Simon,” Penny said. “I really had no idea.”

Baz shook his head as he took me in his arms. “I can’t believe Wellbelove dredged this up.”

“I killed him. I killed my father and my mother’s dead because she wanted to run away from us, from me. I killed my family.”

“It’s not your fault. You didn’t know that spell would kill him and Lucy was probably scared.” Penny assured me. “You saved all of us. You’re still a frigging hero, Simon Snow.”

“Bunce is right,” Baz agreed. “The Mage brought about his own end and your mother probably had no idea what she was in for. You can’t blame yourself.” He kissed the top of my head. “You’re so important, Snow, so important.”

“And don’t ever say you don’t have a family,” Penny said, hugging my wings. “We’re your family for as long as any of us are alive. The three of us, together.”

As always, Penny was right. My best friend and my boyfriend and me. We had taken on the world and continued to every day. We would make it.

“You know it, Pen.” I heard once that friends are the family you choose. That sounded about right.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments/constructive criticism are appreciated!


End file.
